


The Actress at the Automat

by Entwinedlove



Series: Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018 [12]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Overly Trusting Women, Time Travel, Women helping Women
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 14:14:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15909909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Entwinedlove/pseuds/Entwinedlove
Summary: Lily wasn't expecting to find friends when she ducked into the diner but she's thankful they were there to help.





	The Actress at the Automat

**Author's Note:**

> For Marvelously Magical Bingo 2018; fills square **N4** – _Angie/Lily_
> 
> [ ](https://i.imgur.com/rYbfdmf.jpg)

Lily was lost. The sights and sounds of a city shouldn't have confused her so much—as she'd been to London and spent time there—but this city... it was something else. She also had to concede that if she'd just been lost in an unfamiliar city, that would be one thing, but she was also lost in the past and that was the part that bothered her the most.

She, James, and Sirius had been locked in duels with a few Death Eaters outside of Devon when James went down. She'd been too busy saving her own skin to do more than shout in worried panic. The Death Eater who'd been duelling with James turned his attention to her and before she could blink, an entire group of spells had been flung her way. The third Death Eater had apparently not known what his cohorts were planning and been caught up in the volley of spells with her.

She'd felt the jerk behind her navel of Portkey travel and there was something else, a tunnel of swirling lights that had given her a horrible headache.

And then nothing.

When Lily had opened her eyes she found herself laying in a narrow, dirty alley in a strange city. She'd sought out a newspaper stand and found both her location and the date.

New York City. May 1946.

Her stomach had swooped at learning how far back in time she'd been flung. She wandered the streets, thinking about her situation. Should she try to find passage back to Britain to seek out the Ministry of Magic? Would they be able to return her to her own time? She didn't have any money, she wouldn't be able to find Muggle transportation. She needed to find an Auror in the wizarding government here. Unfortunately, she had no idea where to look.

As she glanced around, she realised she'd somehow circled back around to the place she'd woken up. A black swirl of movement caught her eye and she saw the Death Eater she'd been catapulted through time with. As he levelled his wand in her direction she sprinted up the pavement, ducking into a relatively busy diner. She hoped the Death Eater would be sensible enough not to try to attack her here in front of all of these Muggles.

Though she supposed if he did, she might find an Auror sooner.

It would not be worth it. She inhaled and stepped further in, taking a seat in one of the booths. She looked around and felt a slight bit of relief. Her dress wasn't too far off from what some of the other women in the diner were wearing. Though she did feel bare when she noticed that every single woman was wearing nylons. A few modifications to her floral dress would be easy enough to help her blend in.

Before she could get up and find a restroom to spell those changes, a waitress showed up. She had dark blonde hair pulled back under her uniform cap and light eyes. "What can I get for ya?"

Lily was again reminded about how she didn't have any money and even if she'd had galleons or pounds in her pockets it wouldn't help here. She decided to be as honest about that as she could, though she hoped she wouldn't get tossed out for loitering. "I'm sorry. I don't have any money. I just came in here to get away from someone who was following me. I thought the crowd would keep him away."

"I know how it is with unwanted attention," the girl said. A bell over the door chimed and she glanced up. Without hesitating, she sat in the opposing booth and propped her hand on her chin. A man in a dark suit walked close by their table and Lily noticed his hands were clenched into fists. The girl waited for him to move past them and take a seat further away before speaking, "I can get you a cup of coffee on the house, English, but not much else. Do you have anywhere you can go to get away from this creep? I'm Angie, by the way. Angie Martinelli."

"Lily Evans, and no, not really. It's a long story but I just arrived here and I don't even know what I'm going to do when night comes."

Angie was nodding. "I live in a boarding house for women called the Griffith Hotel and I can offer you my couch for the night but I don't think you'll be able to stay. You have to interview to get an apartment there and the landlady is pretty strict."

Lily was flabberghasted. "But you... you don't even know me."

"I know a girl in trouble when I see one, Lily." She gestured behind her at the man in the black suit without actually turning in her seat. Lily glanced up and recognised the man. Without the Death Eater mask, she knew who it was: Regulus Black. He wasn't looking in her direction but she could tell he was watching them out of his periphery. Angie winked at her and got up. "Let me get you that coffee."

Lily watched Angie manoeuvre herself between the tables, stopping to take an empty plate and inquire with a customer along the way. She stopped by Black to ask what he wanted and he must have ordered something because she got out a pad and noted it down.

The coffee Angie brought was piping hot and strong but Lily had trouble enjoying it because Regulus continued to stare at her over his meal. Lily wanted to keep her head down to make him stop looking at her but she also wanted to follow Angie around the diner as she worked.

"Peggy!" Angie called to a new customer who was just coming in the door. She stepped close and spoke quietly, even as she led the new woman to Lily's table. "Hey, Lily," Angie said as they got close. "Peggy here is one of my neighbours. She's got a key to my apartment and she'll let you in. Peggy this is Lily." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "Why don't you two leave now so your creep can't follow. He hasn't paid for his meal yet. I'll hold him up so he can't follow you." She leaned back just enough to raise her eyebrows and nod and Lily nodded, agreeing with the plan. She got up and smiled at the new woman.

Peggy had dark hair and eyes that she accented with a gorgeous red lipstick. "It's nice to meet you," Lily said.

"Likewise," she said. Lily was shocked that she recognised the accent. She turned and gestured for Lily to follow, and continued the conversation. "Angie said you're new in the city, right?" As the door to the diner closed behind them, Lily could just make out Black getting up to follow before Angie intercepted him with her hands on her hips like she was ready to kick up a fuss.

At the kerb, a man had opened the back seat of a car door and Peggy gestured for her to get in first. "Thank you, Mr Jarvis," Peggy said as she slid in behind Lily.

"Of course, Miss Carter," he said. His accent was just as comforting to Lily as Peggy's had been. Mr Jarvis shut the car door and walked around to the driver's side. He got in and drove them away as Black opened the door of the diner.

Lily collapsed back in her seat, the nervous tension that had been coiling in her gut fading now that she was further away from him.

"Angie told me she lied to you," Peggy said drawing Lily's attention back to her. "She said she lived at a boarding house and offered you her couch. We don't actually live at the boarding house now, we live on the other side of the city. Roommates in a large residence owned by a friend of mine. I hope you're all right with having an actual bed?"

"She lied because she thought that the wanker following me might have been listening," Lily said, putting together the pieces, "That was really clever of her."

"Angie's a really clever girl and one hell of an actress," Peggy said in agreement. "You'll be able to stay as long as you need, as well. If you need help to get back home, don't hesitate to ask."

"It's complicated." Lily knew she probably shouldn't say anything but she was so very thankful for Angie and Peggy and even Mr Jarvis's assistance that she felt like she ought to tell them something. "I just arrived today and—"

"About three this afternoon, maybe?" Peggy asked, grinning as she glanced over at her.

Lily's jaw fell slack. "What?"

"It's just, that's when the agency I work for got a call about a strange disturbance in this part of the city. I think the words used to describe it were 'magical anomaly'?"

"You know about magic?" Lily asked.

"Mr Jarvis and I do. Angie does not. She's just that good of a person to offer a home for someone in need."

"I... I think she's my new best friend."

Peggy laughed and agreed, "She has that way about her."


End file.
